Just putting a disclaimer real quick. While I've been to the campsite Steve and Bucky will be staying at many times before, I haven't actually been there in the last few years, so I'm going from memory with a lot of the stuff, and looking a few things up online (like using Google Maps street view to get an idea of what's still there). So while I'm pretty familiar with the area, it may not be 100% accurate.
~ Candy
//\\//\\
It seems as though the prediction that Steve had made that it wouldn't take too long on their drive for Bucky to fall asleep was correct. Not even an hour into their travels, and Bucky has already fallen asleep - which Steve is not at all surprised by..
Steve has elected to take that as a good thing. Mostly as it allows him to drive in peace with only the sound his soft snoring and the sound of the radio quietly playing one of their Spotify playlists of old rock music such as bands like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Radiohead, and The Smashing Pumpkins, along with a few newer rock bands thrown into the mix like Greta Van Fleet, and Highly Suspect. There's also a few New Zealand rock bands thrown onto the list too, like Devilskin, Shihad, and Blindspott to name a few.
He's able to concentrate on his driving in peace without having to hear Bucky complain about the heat. Though, he too agrees that it's fucking hot, but the weather seems to effect Bucky differently than it does with himself, especially when it's colder weather. Steve was a little surprised that the hotter weather would give Bucky a similar effect here, especially considering back in America when the weather's hot he's never complained too much about it.
It still appears to make him quite sleepy though, even when he had drunk three energy drinks in a short amount of time.... Steve's just going to take that as just energy drinks don't have the same effect on the two of them like it does on any normal human. It would make perfect sense after all because of the serums they both had been injected with years ago.
Steve has decided that he'll let Bucky sleep until they get to the Matata camping grounds. It'll be much easier on the both of them if Steve lets Bucky sleep until they get there anyway, save all the complaints about how hot it is until later.
There's also the fact that Bucky can be a bit cranky when someone has woken him up. Steve had learnt that the hard way, and so has every other member of the team who's had the misfortune of having to wake Bucky. Everyone except Bruce anyway....
They're not all certain what would happen if Bruce was tasked to wake Bucky up for anything, and they don't intend on seeing what will happen. There's the chance that it may provoke the Hulk seeing as Bucky does get a little physical at times, and when Bucky's throwing punches in a barely lucid state, it's not fun. It's usually better to let him wake on his own. The last time someone had to wake Bucky, Clint received a broken nose as a result of it, and it wasn't the first time one of the team had gotten injured while having to wake Bucky, even Natasha has sustained a couple injuries because of it.
Sighing, Steve looks over at Bucky. He's still not completely one hundred percent fixed from all the shit Hydra had done to him, but he's pretty fucking near close to it, thanks to Shuri. Though thankfully all of Hydra's programming is gone, but he's still a little unstable. For the most part though, he's mostly rehabilitated into this new world. He's still not entirely sure how to use a lot of the new tech though, but the same can be said for Steve too really. They're both getting there though, with a considerable amount of help from Peter.
Steve's got to remember to bring home a plush kiwi toy for Peter. He had asked them to get him one after all, and since Peter's getting one, they're going to have to get one for the rest of the team. Seems reasonable enough, to bring home some souvenirs for the others as well as themselves.
As he's driving down the road, Steve finds himself admiring the views, especially when a lot of it is all forestry instead of town after town and big cities unlike back home. There's just so much nature here, and it's just breathtaking. He can definitely see why this place was the perfect location to film the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit films, it all just screams Middle-earth. Almost like Tolkien himself had walked through these lands and created his world right here.
He's definitely going to have to talk with Bucky about when they eventually retire about the possibility of them moving here. Though he's almost positive that Bucky's not going to have any objections towards that.
Finally, after about an hour or so of driving, they finally reach the campgrounds. Though, as Steve drives along the road to get to the entrance to the campgrounds, he finds that the place appears to already be quite packed - which he had expected around this time of year, which is why he had called up the place last week to make a booking before hand. He didn't exactly fancy just turning up there and there being no available sections for them to stay on.
Even if this place was too full for them though, there is another campsite further back down along the road, and another not far from this one. But both he and Bucky had found this one more ideal for them - and cheaper than the others at eight dollars per person per night.
Though, they didn't chose this one for it being the cheapest, but because right across the road, there are a few shops. Mostly just small little convenience stores (or dairys as they call them here) and a fish and chip takeaways shop. There's also a small little gas station - which Steve is glad about, but is a little concerned about how he's gonna get the campervan to fit when they need to get more gas - and right at the end, just as you turn to go through the long gravel driveway to get to the campgrounds on the other side of the road, is a liquor store. Which despite the fact he and Bucky can't get drunk, he's extremely glad is there, and he's sure Bucky will be too once he wakes and sees it.
The campgrounds however, aren't right near the road, but they're a bit further away from the main road with a swamp-like area separating it, and Steve assumes that right behind the campgrounds is the beach. Though, Steve notices what appears to be a tennis court or something of the sorts closer to the main road next to a house that Steve is assuming is a tennis club house or something, but he's not sure.
The tennis court or whatever it's used for might be useful if Bucky wants to check it out and play a game or something - if they find something to use at one of the shops - but knowing Bucky, it's likely all he'll want to do is either sit out in the sun, or inside the campervan and read.
As he drives down on into the campgrounds, Steve spares a quick glance to his left to find that Bucky is still asleep. Which doesn't surprise him in the least bit. Though, he may need to wake up soon, but for now while Steve pays for their stay here, he'll let Bucky sleep. And, he's just going to have to hope that Bucky wakes before they start setting up for their stay here, just so he doesn't have to do it all himself.
He stops the camper once he's inside the grounds near the small office, and gets out to go pay for their stay, and as he walks over to the small office to pay, he finds himself really loving the fact that you can hear the waves crashing onto the beach behind the campgrounds. Though, you can't see the beach from inside the camp because of the hillside that's blocking the view.
"Hi, I made a booking over the phone?" He says as the lady inside the small office greets him.
She nods. "And your name?" She asks, looking through the book in front of her that Steve assumes is for keeping track of visitors coming here.
"Steven Rogers." He says.
As the lady doesn't even bat an eye at his name, Steve finds himself still not entirely used to the fact that he's not very well known by name here compared to back home. It is a very welcoming change though, not having everyone recognize him. Though with not recognizing him by looks, he supposes he could very well chalk it up to the fact that he's let his beard grow out (Bucky was set on him keeping the beard, saying it looks fucking good on him, and practically threatened hm not to shave it), and his hair isn't as short as it usually is. His hair is nowhere as long as Bucky's though, but it's still a lot longer than normal.
Even Bucky isn't very well known here or recognized. Though he has gotten stopped a few times by people - mostly young children - curious about his prosthetic arm. Steve can't say he blames them, Bucky's left arm does look awesome, and it's obviously going to cause some interest from strangers. It's not like he can cover it up anyway, as it's way too hot to do so, and Bucky wasn't interested in using a holographic sleeve to disguise it with. He had said something about not really liking having to use one, and that he's comfortable with showing off the arm now since it's not a Hydra-made arm, but one that Shuri had made him.
"Alright Mr. Rogers." The lady starts. "You're staying here with another adult for seven days, correct?" As Steve nods, she continues. "That'll be a total of one hundred and twelve dollars, plus an extra two dollar charge to cover waste disposal."
Steve nods, taking out his wallet from his back pocket and grabbing out the amount of money due to pay.
"Alright." The lady says, taking the money, and handing him a slip of paper that has all the details of their stay here. "You just need to put this up on your dashboard where it's in clear view of the window so if you go out of the grounds for a couple hours in your vehicle you can easily get back in."
"Right. Got it." Steve nods, considering this isn't the first campsite he and Bucky have stayed at, he already knows how this works.
"Great." The lady says. "Now your section is right on the corner down there near the restrooms." She tells him, pointing him the direction where the restrooms stand, with two trees next to it on the right side right on the corner where the small road turns off to get further through the camp. "And behind the restrooms you'll find bins for rubbish and recycling."
Honestly, having the section right next to the restrooms Steve kind of finds himself feeling rather glad about. Means he and Bucky won't need to walk very far to use the bathroom.
"Alright. Thank you." He says, before getting back into the campervan to drive over to their section.
Just... hopefully it won't take Bucky very long to wake up so they can get all set up for their stay, as Steve doesn't fancy setting it all up on his own even though there's not really too much that they need to set up. But since he's doing the majority of the driving cause Bucky - the badass Winter Soldier - is too afraid of driving on New Zealand roads, the least Bucky could do is help set up their campsite....